Omar al-Bashir vowed not to be intimidated by the indictment, then broke into a tribal dance on a parched field to the delight of cheering supporters.

Wearing a beige suit and sunglasses and carrying a silver-tipped cane, al-Bashir exuded confidence during his stops on Wednesday. He sought to cast himself as a peacemaker during speeches across the troubled land where an international prosecutor accuses him of committing crimes against humanity.

The carefully-orchestrated trip seemed designed to portray the president as being deeply concerned about the region's people as his government tries to persuade the United Nations Security Council to block the case against him.

It was al-Bashir's first known visit to Darfur in more than three years, and he rarely allows Western journalists to accompany him anywhere.

Last week, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor filed 10 charges against al-Bashir for allegedly masterminding a campaign of extermination and rape targeting three Darfur tribes as part of the government's campaign to quell a rebellion.

The United Nations says about 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been uprooted over the past five years.

During one stop in northern Darfur, al-Bashir met 600 refugees from various tribes, including those he is accused of targeting with atrocities, but the crowd in El Fasher appeared to be carefully hand-picked by his advisers.

The president had no plans to visit any of the region's sprawling refugee camps where people have moved to escape violence.

He promised to send them tractors and improve safety in the camps by giving security jobs to former rebels, but gave no details.